writing – Page 114 – Lemon Drop Pie

Lately, I’ve been feeling rushed. Which seems quite ridiculous to me, since I’m mostly a stay-at-home mom. I rush to get ready in the morning; to pack lunches, make sure my children are fed and dressed and then rush out the door to drop them off at school. I rush to volunteer at church or school or to my part time job, to the grocery store or to the doctor’s office.

When I’m at home, I’m rushing to throw that load of laundry in the washing machine, to empty the dishwasher or vacuum something. Before I know it, I need to pick up the girls from school and rush to ballet, rush to do math and study spelling words, make dinner, wash the dishes and put the kids to bed.

In between writing these paragraphs, I cleared junk mail off of the counter, put a load of laundry in the dryer, noticed what time it was and rushed to get dinner going on the stove. I took out the garbage and recycling (see “cleared off the counter” up above!)

Even when I’m online I’m in a rush; to answer emails or comment on blogs, Facebook or Google+ as quickly as I can so that I can get back to the real tasks in life.

Raise your hand if this sounds familiar.

Way back when I was teaching full time and going to graduate school, I used to quell that rising feeling of anxiety by telling myself that everything I needed to do would get done. That paper would get written in time, my report cards would be handed out on the correct days, and I would be prepared for parent conferences.

Somehow, it worked. By plugging away and working steadily and also (this is important!) taking breaks, it all got done.

My tasks now are quite different, but it all gets done. The girls go to school with clean clothes, I manage to make dinner every night, and sometimes, there are crumbs under the kitchen table.

I’ll vacuum those crumbs…tomorrow. It will get done.

Gretchen is giving advice this week at The Spin Cycle. Put your spin on it and tell me in the comments below…what advice would you like to give me, someone else, or yourself?

Sometimes my pants droop, not because I’m thinner, but because my muffin top is pushing them down. Which is why…

Sometimes, I need to go for a walk. A brisk, 2-mile walk.

Sometimes, I actually do listen to my husband. After he installed a number code remote for our garage door, he said I should still take my keys with me on a walk or at least leave the back door unlocked. I thought, “Pfft! Now that we have a code I don’t need my keys!” A couple of weeks ago, I decided to go for a walk after I dropped the girls off at school. I thought I might as well leave the back door unlocked just in case. When I came back an hour later, the garage door code wouldn’t work. I tried it three times, then gave up and got in through the back door. I discovered that the electricity had gone out while I was gone.

Sometimes, I listen to 80’s music and dance badly while I’m doing housework. I even do the white man’s overbite.

Sometimes, I want to rebel.

Sometimes, I feel like I’m ready to take on the world.

Sometimes, all I want to do is crawl into bed under my soft, fluffy down comforter. Not because I’m tired or sick, but because it’s comforting when the world is too much to take on.

Sometimes, I watch too much TV and I wish I had an important job. I want to be smart, successful and savvy lawyer like Alicia Florrick on The Good Wife.

Sometimes, I receive a note from a preschool parent, reminding me how important I am to their child.

Sometimes I want to call my mother and ask her if I’m doing the right thing. With my kids, my husband, my house…my life.

Sometimes I remember what my mother taught me, and so I imagine what she would tell me if I could call her.

Sometimes, this helps.

What do you do sometimes?